I had it on the cabinsides next to the bunk for several years. It gets dark and stained over time. But it does reduce the cold and condensation. If I ever spend any more time in colder climes, I may cover some Ensolite, or similar material, with vinyl for these areas.

John's website is killing me; it has been since I first saw it. The Searunner Owner's List exists only as an archive. And I was listening to an audio that Joe F did where Jim said we're gonna need a forum for the builders of the new Seaclipper 20.

Maren
I would enjoy the owners list done well and kept up to date. This would make the searunner a collectors vessel. It would take lots of work for little return. I do wonder how many of the searunners are left on the owners list. Are they sitting on a beach some place slowly deteriating which truely is sad for these classic designs. Right now I sit in my stern castle on a cold night with the heater on. Its bliss.

Maren
I would enjoy the owners list done well and kept up to date. This would make the searunner a collectors vessel. It would take lots of work for little return. I do wonder how many of the searunners are left on the owners list. Are they sitting on a beach some place slowly deteriating which truely is sad for these classic designs. Right now I sit in my stern castle on a cold night with the heater on. Its bliss.

Well, I'm thinking it would be for Searunners, Constant Camber Searunners and Seaclipper owner/builders.

Yes Maren
You would have to include these designs you mentioned. The Seaclipper is another way of entry into the trimaran build that many can afford while young.
It would certainly keep it all alive and add value to every Jim and Johns designs.
With the new Seaclipper concept that makes for new generations coming into the forum.
Because these boats are so special they just do need to be saved. There will never be more built or many more built except for the Seaclipper. It's over and the cruising seafaring as Jim puts it needs to be revitalised using the Seaclipper designs and the constant camber methods.
It is differcult as Trimarans have had such a sticking bad rap ever since they where introduced by Arther Piver. The Searunner designs are so special because they worked and they are truely proven. Because of the cultural ways we live now the ply Trimaran is a dying culture. It needs to be saved and the only way to do this is to start with a website that brings together all Searunner and CC owners and this would be part and parcel of the selling and buying these boats. The condition of each vessel and new gear incorporated and adapted for the winning formula of the design. The Searunner and CC could have a revolutionary come back but it would have to be driven by somebody that centralizes the revolution. Nobody has time these days. Life seems too short. But for families and single handed sailors really nothing is superier than the Searunner.
And thank you to you Maren
You started this forum here in 2008 and now i see its on the 99 page on my computor.
What ever happened to Steve Rust.

Yes Maren
You would have to include these designs you mentioned. The Seaclipper is another way of entry into the trimaran build that many can afford while young.
It would certainly keep it all alive and add value to every Jim and Johns designs.
With the new Seaclipper concept that makes for new generations coming into the forum.
Because these boats are so special they just do need to be saved. There will never be more built or many more built except for the Seaclipper. It's over and the cruising seafaring as Jim puts it needs to be revitalised using the Seaclipper designs and the constant camber methods.
It is differcult as Trimarans have had such a sticking bad rap ever since they where introduced by Arther Piver. The Searunner designs are so special because they worked and they are truely proven. Because of the cultural ways we live now the ply Trimaran is a dying culture. It needs to be saved and the only way to do this is to start with a website that brings together all Searunner and CC owners and this would be part and parcel of the selling and buying these boats. The condition of each vessel and new gear incorporated and adapted for the winning formula of the design. The Searunner and CC could have a revolutionary come back but it would have to be driven by somebody that centralizes the revolution. Nobody has time these days. Life seems too short. But for families and single handed sailors really nothing is superier than the Searunner.
And thank you to you Maren
You started this forum here in 2008 and now i see its on the 99 page on my computor.
What ever happened to Steve Rust.

"Ditto"... those thoughts. It would be great to have a dedicated web site and updated / maintained Owners List. We tried to get on the list several times, but Bob was having "server problems" at the time, then... I don't know what happened with the site.

I might add, about the home builder...
It wasn't so much that the interest in trimarans just waned, as a combination of events.

Decades ago, the modern trimaran (which was necessarily built by a home builder), is largely responsible for the acceptance and popularity of those slick production catamarans out there these days. It was the lack of production multihulls, that drove the home builder movement, because if you wanted a trimaran, building one was how you got one.

For those who weren't part of the movement, (40 years ago), it is hard to grasp how much these boats just pissed off the monohull establishment. They seemed to see us as a threat! Over decades, this changed, and the production multihull options expanded, mostly with cats... The early offerings left a lot to be desired. Over time, some got better, but most got more and more like an apartment, because this was what sells production boats. (Same is true for monohulls).

With trimarans, they were not selling boats, they were selling plans to build boats, to a very different sort of person. (Usually to an "I'm gettin outta here" counter culture type, like me)... Very few people put themselves through building a boat successfully, if they were not serious about cruising. This is VS the modern production cat's strong suite, "palatial accommodations and big parties at their dock".

The tris out there were mostly built to much better designs than the production cats, but due to having less accommodations per foot of length, and being a more time consuming structure to build, the tris never caught on with production builders. They were less cost effective and less appealing, as far as production boat "bean counters" were concerned.

MOST "production" multihulls these days, will seldom leave the dock, except for a daysail, in protected water. In the trimaran heyday, the opposite was true. These boats went places!

Another thing that changed the landscape, was the advent of computers, the Internet, and the modern technology age. This coincided with the economic realities about multihulls, and the Cat VS Tri conundrum: The better boat cost more to build, takes longer, and is not the better seller...

First was GPS. It made cruising easily available to the personality type that would never have done so otherwise, (OR had the patience to build his own boat)... These folks were the perfect production cat "market".

Remember, back in the day, most of these home builders had already built their own house, furniture, and a couple of dinghies. Before the technology era, skills with ones hands was quite common. These days, the "Jack of all trades", is a rare breed, as it will not make you rich.

These multi skilled folks are now too old, too tired, or have moved on to the happy cruising ground... With rare exceptions, the younger generations since could possibly develop the skills, but not the "personality traits" to build a cruising boat.

The wonderful tris that are still out there remain the best boats in many ways, and the rare new builders (using WEST & LPs), will have the best of the best, but I can't imagine a resurgence of the home multihull builder movement really happening.

The smaller SeaClippers and such, are fast enough to build, and cheap enough, to be the exceptions. It is great for us to nurse these "oldie but goodie woodies" along, assist that rare breed building now, and encourage the resurgence of building in the narrow market that still exist for them, the daysail or pocket cruiser size trimaran.

M.

__________________
"Let us be kind to one another, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle".

Yes Maren
You would have to include these designs you mentioned. The Seaclipper is another way of entry into the trimaran build that many can afford while young. It would certainly keep it all alive and add value to every Jim and Johns designs. With the new Seaclipper concept that makes for new generations coming into the forum. Because these boats are so special they just do need to be saved. There will never be more built or many more built except for the Seaclipper. It's over and the cruising seafaring as Jim puts it needs to be revitalised using the Seaclipper designs and the constant camber methods.
...
It needs to be saved and the only way to do this is to start with a website that brings together all Searunner and CC owners and this would be part and parcel of the selling and buying these boats. The condition of each vessel and new gear incorporated and adapted for the winning formula of the design. The Searunner and CC could have a revolutionary come back but it would have to be driven by somebody that centralizes the revolution...
And thank you to you Maren
You started this forum here in 2008 and now i see its on the 99 page on my computor.
What ever happened to Steve Rust.

OK, well then I think I'll just build it and see if folks use it. I'm thinking it needs to have the following parts (but let me know if you all would like more or think it needs more)

Timeline -- (for example did anyone know that Jim wrote an article for Pro Boatbuilder or that John won a design contest a couple of years back)

Anyway, I did a prototype of that Friday night. It really didn't do it for me so I'm doing another one now. A better one.

As for Steve, he just ... quit. This site and sailing his 40, so far as I can tell. I looked him up online and called him twice. It's a real loss to me as he he is one of a half dozen or so folks I look to for good advice on trimarans.

Not sure if I mentioned it, but part of the impetus for me in doing this is that I'm building a SeaClipper 20. At least I'll get on it more once I know if I'm moving back up north or staying here in FL for more than a few months. But I have the side panels all cut as well as bulkheads rear akas. But I kind of hit a few questions that I could use some thoughts on. I know I could just call Jim or John but there are at least 29 others out there who might want to know the same thing.

But I agree that this a movement that could be revitalized if we had a certain critical mass. And I'm hoping to be the catalyst for it. I do kind of have a history of getting projects like these done. I re-edited the Searunner Construction Manual and I also re-issued a set of medals a literary and debating society I was in during college had been talking about for 30 years years. But these aren't things I could do without at a minimum of folks having interest in them getting done. If it weren't for everyone else, this thread would be just another one in the archive.

John's website is killing me; it has been since I first saw it. The Searunner Owner's List exists only as an archive. And I was listening to an audio that Joe F did where Jim said we're gonna need a forum for the builders of the new Seaclipper 20.

And I'm thinking about teaching myself Drupal.

So, would this be something you all have an interest in?

Yes. Good idea, pm me if i can help.
Couple of things to think about:
- wooden boat magazine has an extensive register of boats and was very welcoming of my searunner. Might be an alternative to building your own list.
- try www.kickstarter.com for fundraising

I believe that this forum because of a history over a period of time has built up a following with enthusiasum enhancing and establishing valueable information specific to the Searunner. So that it should be used ongoing a link to this forum with another link to Outrigmedia.com. The web site could negate between these other sites
This and more:
Marples Marine (John's survey & consulting)

Timeline -- (for example did anyone know that Jim wrote an article for Pro Boatbuilder or that John won a design contest a couple of years back)

I believe it is the owners list is most valuable to all whom own these boat as then one would feel part of the family. Best way would be to have your own password to establish your own Trimaran page having giving information eg what advances you have made on your personal vessle. Show your trips and experience where and when and when your selling. This would grow from owner to owner and create an ongoing history for these boats as there are not that many Searunners left. they need to be preserved and accounted for as classic's. There miles need to be logged along with there mishaps.
Its about preserving the history incorporating the owners making their individual logs.
This would create a movement again with the Searunner and increase value with these boats.

Couple photos of my buddy Vince Radice, just arrived into our bay after a 6 month cruise with his wife and two kids. He is working on a video about all the cool sail spots in the Sea of Cortez....sure feels good to be back in Mexico, these are shots right off our deck....:-)